A few days ago, we were in Kohls doing some Christmas shopping. I wandered into the kids' clothes section (which was not what we were there for, but I can never resist) which is next to the toy section. As I was browsing, Jenna found a Barbie, the Island Princess doll. Jenna loves the Island Princess. She was Barbie, the Island Princess for Halloween, loves the movie, and wants every toy that is related to this particular Barbie. Little did she know that I had bought the same exact doll for her for Christmas the day before.
I tried to tell her that she just couldn't have it. We weren't there to shop for her. That line usually works and she agrees to not whine about everything in the store that she wants. But, this was different. This was Barbie, the Island Princess. Out of desperation to get us out of the store with as little crying and carrying on as possible, I told her that Santa called me earlier in the day and told me that he had that same doll for her in his bag. He was saving it for Christmas and he would bring it then.
This was so great, because she bought it! She happily returned the doll to the toy section and smiled the whole way out of the store, knowing that Santa was going to bring her the Island Princess doll.
She's a smart cookie though, and I should have seen this coming. She then asked me if she could talk to Santa since he had just talked to me earlier in the day. She had some more things to ask him for. So, I thought quickly. I was trying to think of every guy who would be available, be willing to pretend to be Santa, and wouldn't be a voice she would recognize. Chuck. Our good friend Chuck.
I called him, explained the situation, and while he was in the middle of a Sam's Club shopping trip, pretended to be Santa on the phone to Jenna. She bought it hook, line, and sinker and was so excited that she talked to Santa. (Thank you Chuck.) Then in the car, she asked me what Santa's phone number was. Thinking quickly again, I said, 555-CHRISTMAS.
So, Jenna now thinks that Santa is a cell phone call away to 555-CHRISTMAS and that anyone can talk to him any time of the day.
Luckily, she hasn't asked again to talk to Santa. When she does, we might be making another phone call to Santa. :)
Friday, November 23, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Injured On The Job--Doing Laundry
Injured doing laundry? Yes, I am clumsy. I always have been. When I was younger, I often had trouble going up and down stairs. As a teacher, I always tripped over the feet of the kids who were sitting in the front row. When I was a papergirl in elementary school, I actually ran into a telephone pole while delivering papers. I vividly remember the emergency room doctor laughing at me when I told him how I got the cut above my eyebrow. So my clumsiness haunts me again, and this time I have a nickel-sized little goose egg between my eyes to show for it.
Our laundry room is wide enough to fit just the washer and dryer. The dryer is on the left and the washer is on the right. I finished folding the laundry in the dryer, and left the door open, which swings open to the right. As I was getting the laundry out of the washer and putting it into the dryer, I somehow bent down low enough to whack my forehead right on the top of the dryer door that was open. It was a hard smack--I'm not sure how or why I had such a large amount of momentum going from the washer to the dryer, but I did. I hit my forehead so hard that I was dizzy and actually thought I might pass out. I walked to our bedroom and grabbed the phone in case I had to call Nate to come help me.
I didn't pass out, but have this embarrassing goose egg right in between my eyes. When I picked up Jenna from preschool right after this happened, no one said anything, so hopefully it'll stay that way. If not, I've got another clumsy and embarrassing story to tell.
Our laundry room is wide enough to fit just the washer and dryer. The dryer is on the left and the washer is on the right. I finished folding the laundry in the dryer, and left the door open, which swings open to the right. As I was getting the laundry out of the washer and putting it into the dryer, I somehow bent down low enough to whack my forehead right on the top of the dryer door that was open. It was a hard smack--I'm not sure how or why I had such a large amount of momentum going from the washer to the dryer, but I did. I hit my forehead so hard that I was dizzy and actually thought I might pass out. I walked to our bedroom and grabbed the phone in case I had to call Nate to come help me.
I didn't pass out, but have this embarrassing goose egg right in between my eyes. When I picked up Jenna from preschool right after this happened, no one said anything, so hopefully it'll stay that way. If not, I've got another clumsy and embarrassing story to tell.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Funny Random Stuff
Jenna has learned to match her clothes. The other day, she was standing on the stool in her bathroom and I was doing her hair. I picked out a green hair clip that didn't match her outfit, and as I was about to put it in her hair she looked up at me out of the top corner of her eyes and said, "Now Mommy, do you see any green in my outfit?" I couldn't believe that she was calling me out on not matching! She said, "There's no green in my outfit today, maybe you should put a pink clip in my hair." I guess she told me!
Jenna is in preschool, and instead of bringing backpacks or having cubbies, the kids are required to bring buckets. We bought a purple sand bucket and decorated it with stickers for Jenna. From day one of preschool, Abby thought she should be in the class too. She would sit in the book corner, reading all the books, or color a page with the big kids while I signed Jenna in. One day as we were walking out the door to go to preschool, Abby grabbed her hot pick princess Halloween candy bucket that I had recently bought for trick or treating. She took it in the car, and as soon as she got out of her carseat, she picked it up and took it in to the classroom, just like big sister, Jenna! She even put it right next to Jenna's on the shelves where they go during class. Everyday now, both girls walk into preschool with their buckets, ready for class. Mrs. Dennis, Jenna's teacher, noticed this bucket thing with Abby and now is ready with some "homework" (a coloring page) for Abby. After we say goodbye to Jenna, I grab Abby's bucket from the shelves and put it in the car for a few hours later when we pick Jenna up and do the same routine all over again!
I was getting ready this morning and Nate was watching the girls so I could get ready in peace. When I was out of the shower, I heard Nate yelling,"No Abby, no Abby!" I thought to myself . . . "Oh, he's experiencing Abby this morning!" Then I heard a crash, which was the candle holders falling over on the dining room table. Then I heard, "Weeeeee! Weeee" While Nate was flipping out because Abby was sitting on top of the table knocking things over, Abby was enjoying every second of it:)
Jenna is in preschool, and instead of bringing backpacks or having cubbies, the kids are required to bring buckets. We bought a purple sand bucket and decorated it with stickers for Jenna. From day one of preschool, Abby thought she should be in the class too. She would sit in the book corner, reading all the books, or color a page with the big kids while I signed Jenna in. One day as we were walking out the door to go to preschool, Abby grabbed her hot pick princess Halloween candy bucket that I had recently bought for trick or treating. She took it in the car, and as soon as she got out of her carseat, she picked it up and took it in to the classroom, just like big sister, Jenna! She even put it right next to Jenna's on the shelves where they go during class. Everyday now, both girls walk into preschool with their buckets, ready for class. Mrs. Dennis, Jenna's teacher, noticed this bucket thing with Abby and now is ready with some "homework" (a coloring page) for Abby. After we say goodbye to Jenna, I grab Abby's bucket from the shelves and put it in the car for a few hours later when we pick Jenna up and do the same routine all over again!
I was getting ready this morning and Nate was watching the girls so I could get ready in peace. When I was out of the shower, I heard Nate yelling,"No Abby, no Abby!" I thought to myself . . . "Oh, he's experiencing Abby this morning!" Then I heard a crash, which was the candle holders falling over on the dining room table. Then I heard, "Weeeeee! Weeee" While Nate was flipping out because Abby was sitting on top of the table knocking things over, Abby was enjoying every second of it:)
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Productivity vs. Fruitfulness
God seems to give me just what I need when I need it.
I lead a women's Bible study on Tuesday mornings at our church, and this particular study is on stress. Each week is broken down into a different subtopics, and this week was "fruitfulness." When I think about the word, "fruitfulness" I often think of it in spiritual terms, I think about the fruit of our labor or the fruit of the Spirit or the fruit that comes from being in a relationship with God.
I never thought about pitting productivity against it though.
There's this pressure all around to be productive. Get more work done, get more stuff, have your kids in all the important activities, volunteer at church, make sure the laundry is done, and the house is always clean and tidy. That is a lot of pressure!
I work part time from home and I was stressing myself out by trying to take care of the girls, the house, and try to work all at the same time. I would fail every time resulting in yelling at the girls and worrying about what I wasn't getting done. I finally realized that trying to get all that done, trying to be too productive, was not good for me. I have been getting one to two migraines a week for a while now, and came up with every excuse in the book like-we live kinda close to the highway so that's what's causing my migraines. Or, it must be hormones. But, I am willing to admit that I was trying to do too much at once and that stress was making life hard.
So as I was going through my Bible study this morning, I realized that God has been teaching me that although being productive is good, trying to be too productive is not. Instead, I should be focusing on being fruitful and living in His will. love, and grace. Doing that will guide my life and result in happiness that I cannot achieve by filling my life with too many tasks.
Being in a hurry and filling my life with too many things is not good for me when it is done for the wrong reasons. So, I am choosing to work towards being fruitful instead of productive. I want to create a happy and balanced home for my family, work from home when the girls aren't awake, and choose activities for the right reasons and not because everyone else is doing it.
I would love to have every piece of laundry clean at any given moment, never have dishes sitting around, have a clean house that is ready for visitors at all times, but I"m pretty sure that God is calling me to create a balanced home and family and raise children that love Him. So, I am trying to do that. No more six way multitasking and thinking about whether Jenna should be in dance, swimming lessons, and preschool. We take one thing at a time and stop to play a game of hide-and-go seek with the girls without worrying about what I'm not getting done.
I lead a women's Bible study on Tuesday mornings at our church, and this particular study is on stress. Each week is broken down into a different subtopics, and this week was "fruitfulness." When I think about the word, "fruitfulness" I often think of it in spiritual terms, I think about the fruit of our labor or the fruit of the Spirit or the fruit that comes from being in a relationship with God.
I never thought about pitting productivity against it though.
There's this pressure all around to be productive. Get more work done, get more stuff, have your kids in all the important activities, volunteer at church, make sure the laundry is done, and the house is always clean and tidy. That is a lot of pressure!
I work part time from home and I was stressing myself out by trying to take care of the girls, the house, and try to work all at the same time. I would fail every time resulting in yelling at the girls and worrying about what I wasn't getting done. I finally realized that trying to get all that done, trying to be too productive, was not good for me. I have been getting one to two migraines a week for a while now, and came up with every excuse in the book like-we live kinda close to the highway so that's what's causing my migraines. Or, it must be hormones. But, I am willing to admit that I was trying to do too much at once and that stress was making life hard.
So as I was going through my Bible study this morning, I realized that God has been teaching me that although being productive is good, trying to be too productive is not. Instead, I should be focusing on being fruitful and living in His will. love, and grace. Doing that will guide my life and result in happiness that I cannot achieve by filling my life with too many tasks.
Being in a hurry and filling my life with too many things is not good for me when it is done for the wrong reasons. So, I am choosing to work towards being fruitful instead of productive. I want to create a happy and balanced home for my family, work from home when the girls aren't awake, and choose activities for the right reasons and not because everyone else is doing it.
I would love to have every piece of laundry clean at any given moment, never have dishes sitting around, have a clean house that is ready for visitors at all times, but I"m pretty sure that God is calling me to create a balanced home and family and raise children that love Him. So, I am trying to do that. No more six way multitasking and thinking about whether Jenna should be in dance, swimming lessons, and preschool. We take one thing at a time and stop to play a game of hide-and-go seek with the girls without worrying about what I'm not getting done.
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